Israel Denies 23-Person Delegation Entry to West Bank

Israeli authorities denied a 23-person international delegation entry to the occupied West Bank from Jordan on October 26, preventing its members from attending a conference and holding planned meetings with Palestinian groups. The delegation included lawmakers, politicians and academics from several countries, among them British Labour MP Clive Lewis and Scottish National Party MP Lara Bird. The group had planned to attend the Second Ramallah Congress, organized by Progressive International in partnership with Birzeit University. Its program included meetings with students, academics and Palestinian civil society representatives, as well as activities supporting farmers during the olive harvest. Lewis said delegation members were held and questioned for more than eight hours at the Allenby-King Hussein Bridge crossing. Bird said they were turned away without being given a reason. The accounts of the initial denial and questioning were reported by Global Justice Now, which participated in the delegation. Birzeit University said the delegation attempted to enter again on Tuesday and was denied a second time. The university said the conference, organized by its Ibrahim...